The patent literature 1 recites connectors for flow passage forming components. The connectors of the patent literature 1 are connectors for refrigerant pipes used in a refrigeration cycle apparatus of a vehicle. The connectors of the patent literature 1 prevent erroneous assembling of different types of connectors relative to each other, as will be described below.
In a case of changing a type of refrigerant used in the refrigeration cycle apparatus, although respective constituent components of the refrigeration cycle apparatus need not be changed, at least a portion of the refrigerant pipe, which connects the constituent components of the refrigeration cycle needs to be changed. At least the portion of the refrigerant pipe refers to a portion of the refrigerant pipe, at which a refrigerant charge valve is installed. Therefore, at an assembling line where the refrigeration cycle apparatus is assembled to a vehicle body, a worker selects a dedicated refrigerant pipe according to the type of refrigerant used in the refrigeration cycle apparatus, and then the worker assembles the selected refrigerant pipe to the corresponding constituent components. Here, at the time of assembling the refrigeration cycle apparatus, which uses a first refrigerant, the worker may possibly erroneously assemble a refrigerant pipe for a second refrigerant that is a refrigerant, which is different from the first refrigerant.
In view of the above point, connectors, which have the following structure, are used in the patent literature 1.
At a pair of connectors for the first refrigerant, a first projecting portion is provided at an assembling surface of one of the connectors, and a second projecting portion is provided at an assembling surface of the other one of the connectors. Furthermore, a receiving hole, which receives the second projecting portion, is formed at the assembling surface of the one of the connectors, and a receiving hole, which receives the first projecting portion, is formed at the assembling surface of the other one of the connectors. The assembling surface of the respective connectors refers to a surface of the connector that contacts the mating connector in an assembled state of the pair of connectors.
In contrast, at a pair of connectors for the second refrigerant, assembling surfaces of both of the connectors are formed as planar surfaces.
Thereby, assembling of the connectors, which are designed for the same type of refrigerant, relative to each other is enabled, and erroneous assembling of the connectors, which are respectively designed for the different types of refrigerants, relative to each other is prevented. Furthermore, in the case of the connectors of the patent literature 1, it is only required to change a design of preexisting connectors or add an additional processing operation to a manufacturing process of the preexisting connectors for the connectors for the first refrigerant, and it is not required to change the design of the preexisting connectors or add the additional processing operation to the manufacturing process of the preexisting connectors for the connectors for the second refrigerant.